Like pizza, Neapolitan coffee represents much more than a culinary tradition: it is a real essential component to understand the Neapolitan philosophy of life, as it fits into the daily life of the inhabitants of the city, and which also enchants the tourists who visit. the noble districts like the most popular ones. For sure, having a good coffee is the first thing to do when you arrive in Naples Italy.
According to some theories, coffee in Naples was introduced around 1770 thanks to Maria Carolina D’Asburgo, wife of Ferdinando di Borbone. In the beginning, coffee in Naples Italy was consumed only by a small elite but little by little, towards the beginning of the 19th century, it began to be appreciated by all, so much so as to give birth to a now disappeared figure, the itinerant coffee maker. Wandering through the streets of the city, street coffee makers supplied coffee to the most hasty citizens, even shouting the name of the saint of the day in the street. The cuccumella played a very important role in the diffusion of coffee in Naples. Invented in 1819, the Neapolitan coffee maker introduced a new way of making coffee at home, a system with a double filter that did away with the Turkish infusion system to create what has become Neapolitan coffee, that is, dense and dark. The double filter system will then pass to the mocha which will be invented and introduced in 1900.
Although the coffee does not have Neapolitan origins, that of Naples Italy is one of the most renowned in the world. The real reason still remains a mystery. There are those who attribute the success of Neapolitan coffee to roasting, some to water, others to the machine. A widespread practice in Naples is that of suspended coffee that was born in Naples, but its historical origins are still discussed today. The suspended coffee consists in paying for a second coffee, precisely suspended, instead of asking the barista to receive the change back, effectively offering the customers in difficulty of the day a nice cup of Neapolitan coffee.